1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a job processing system that processes jobs, a job processing method, a program that executes the job processing, and a storage medium on which the program is stored.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, in the printing industry, publications are published by carrying out various steps. These steps include receiving manuscripts, applying a design to the manuscripts, editing the layout, comps (presentations based on printing), proofing (layout corrections and color corrections), press proofs (proof printing), plate making, printing, post-processing tasks, delivery, and so on.
Thus far, in the printing industry, offset plate printing presses have been used in the printing process, making the plate making process necessary. However, it is not easy to perform corrections on such plates once they have been created, and such corrections also incur significant expense. Therefore, careful proofing (that is, work involving careful layout checks and color confirmations) is essential when creating plates. For this reason, it has taken considerable time in order to publish such publications.
Furthermore, the devices used in each step are often large-scale devices, requiring expert knowledge to operate, and thus the expertise of an experienced operator has been essential.
In response to this situation, a POD (Print-on-Demand) system that uses electrophotographic printing apparatuses, inkjet printing apparatuses, and so on has recently been proposed (see US Pre-Grant Publication No. 2004/0190057). With such a POD system, the abovementioned creation of plates and other complicated procedures are rendered unnecessary. Note that in recent years, JDF-compliant devices are increasingly being used as printing apparatuses aimed at the POD market. “JDF” is a digital format managed by CIP4 that is common across the entire printing process (also called “instructions” or a “job ticket”), and is garnering attention in systems aimed at the POD market. “JDF” is an acronym for “Job Definition Format”. “CIP4”, meanwhile, is an acronym for “Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress”. The JDF format uses XML, a basic format used for web pages. Using the characteristics of XML is expected to result in advantages in terms of management of the entire printing process, by confirming, through a web site, the state of production management, the operational states of printing apparatuses, binding devices, and so on.
Furthermore, using instructions in the JDF format makes it possible to write instructions for a serial workflow that links multiple devices from the loading step to the delivery step, resulting in the printed material that is the final result, rather than the process simply ending with a single device. By using this characteristic, it is possible to manage a serial workflow composed of multiple steps and that uses multiple devices with a single set of instructions. This provides advantages in terms of linking multiple devices involved in the overall printing process to each other, and in terms of the automation of various devices.
Based on such a background, considerations are currently being made with an eye for the actual implementation of JDF-compliant printing apparatuses capable of exploiting the advantages of JDF to the maximum level, for use as printing systems aimed at the POD market.
However, when, for example, a digital multi-function peripheral is to have JDF support, it is necessary to enable print settings through job tickets. The job ticket differs from a printer driver in that it can be created even without knowing the device specifications, configuration information, and so on. This is a particular advantage of the JDF format, which is a common format independent of individual devices and which aims to enable job processing in as many different devices as possible.
However, taking such a situation into consideration, new issues and user needs, hitherto non-existent but which need to be addressed, arise when actually constructing a printing apparatus, a system, or the like. For example, depending on the operational environment (the capabilities of the device, the accessories provided therein, and so on), cases can arise where the printing apparatus (printing system) cannot execute all operations instructed in the job ticket. Furthermore, from the standpoint of the user, there may be cases where the printing apparatus (printing system) cannot carry out printing exactly as instructed, when, for example, printing is instructed using a job ticket. In such a case, it is preferable to make it possible for the user to cancel the processing of the job. For example, it is highly likely that printed materials created in a POD-market printing environment are to be handled as commercial products delivered to the customer. With a printing system operating in such a printing environment, printed materials that cannot be delivered to the customer are treated as wasteful output, and are thus wasteful expenses that are to be avoided as much as possible. Therefore, it is also necessary to tackle such issues in order for users (operators) in the POD environment to eliminate wasteful printed materials and reduce costs.
Meanwhile, even if a printing apparatus (printing system) cannot carry out all items that have been set, there are nevertheless cases where the user wishes to print using that printing apparatus. In the printing environment (printing site) mentioned earlier, a case where a certain job cannot be processed using the finisher provided in the printing apparatus but can be processed if another finisher is used can be considered as an example of this. In such a case, the printed material is first obtained using the printing apparatus, and the user then sets the printed material in the finisher to obtain the desired result.
Accordingly, data in the JDF format is advantageous in terms of flexibility and ease of instructions for automating devices, linking devices, and managing devices. However, because JDF data is not data prepared specifically for a single device of for a specific type of device, cases that cannot easily be addressed simply by providing a JDF-compliant printing apparatus or printing system in the aforementioned printing environment can arise.
At present, because the actual implementation of such products and systems is still in the planning stages, considerations for addressing various situations and user needs have not yet been addressed.